Arts & Entertainment

Ridgefield Independent Film Festival Announces 'Best Of Shorts' Lineup

The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival announces the lineup for the Best of RIFF Shorts Fest, celebrating 7 years of RIFF on August 21.

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Ridgefield Independent Film Festival announces the lineup for the Best of RIFF Shorts Fest, celebrating 7 years of RIFF on Aug. 21 at 2 p.m. at The Ridgefield Playhouse.

The 103-minute program, underwritten by a grant from Connecticut Humanities, will center on the theme: Are The Kids All Right - Raising Resilient Children in Cinema, and will highlight the best short films from the festival’s seven-year history. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with film critic, Joe Meyers and filmmakers (in person and via Zoom) on the history and language of youth in cinema, from Francios Truffaut’s "The 400 Blows," to Nicholas Ray’s "Rebel Without a Cause" to Netflix’s "Stranger Things."

RIFF's Emerging Filmmaker Award will be granted to Ridgefield resident, Nicholas Burns for his film, "Nothing Is Going to Change."

An after party will take place in the new lobby of The Ridgefield Playhouse with gourmet hot dogs provided by Ridgefield’s Chez Lenard and beer provided by Ridgefield’s Nod Hill Brewery. This project is being underwritten by Connecticut Humanities, who have supported the project with a project grant, and with support from The Ridgefield Playhouse.

Tickets may be purchased online at The Ridgefield Playhouse website.

The lineup for the BEST OF RIFF Shorts program is:

Part One
"Girls Don't Cry Wolf" by John Chigas, Anna Eva Kotyza - USA - RIFF 2016

"The Other Side" by Griselda San Martin - Spain - RIFF 2017

"Koreatown Ghost Story" by Minsun Park & Teddy Tenenbaum - USA - RIFF 2021

"Make It Easy" - by Ridgefield native, Ellie Gravitte - USA - RIFF 2021 Emerging Filmmaker Award

"Garden Party" by Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Caire, Théophile Dufresne, Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Navarro - France - RIFF 2018 - Academy Award Nominee for Best Animated Short 2019

Intermission

Part Two
"The Opposites Game" by Anna Samo, Lisa LaBracio - USA - RIFF 2020

"Maradona's Legs" by Firas Khoury - Germany/Palestine - RIFF 2020

"How To Fall In Love in a Pandemic" by Michael-David McKernan - Ireland - RIFF 2020

"Nothing Is Going to Change" by Ridgefield Resident, Nicholas Burns - USA - RIFF 2022
Emerging Filmmaker Award

Panel Discussion
After Party/Reception